Terms & Conditions

DEFINITIONS

“American Express” means American Express Banking Corp., a corporation organised under the New York State Banking Law, USA, with limited liability; authorised to carry on banking business in India.

“American Express Card” (“Card”) and Card Account mean Basic Card and Account for any of Indian Rupee Platinum, Gold, Personal, Credit, Corporate Platinum, Corporate Gold, any Co branded and affinity Cards issued by American Express.

“Cardmember(s)”, unless otherwise specified, mean holders of such American Express Cards.

“Fee” means the Annual Fee of enrolment in the Frequent Traveller Option and/or the Non-Frequent Traveller Option as the case may be, determined by American Express from time to time.

“Frequent Traveller Option” or FTO means the option under which the Membership Rewards Points can be converted into Air Miles along with other Rewards options.

“Non-Frequent Traveller Option” or NFTO is the option under which the Membership Rewards can be redeemed against Rewards other than Air Miles and Frequent Customer/Guest Programme.

“Frequent Customer/Guest Programme” means any loyalty programme of any participating hotel or airlines into which Points can be transferred.

“Frequent Traveller Rewards” means the transfer of Points into any one or more participating Airline/Hotel Frequent Customer/Guest Programs and other such Rewards that may be added from time to time.

“General Frequent Traveller Option” or GFTO means the option under which the Membership Rewards Points can be converted into Air Miles along with other Rewards options.

“Linked Accounts” include every single Basic Card Account that is enrolled in the Programme under the name of the same Basic Cardmember, which are billed in the same currency, and on which all spending is combined and accumulated under one Membership Rewards Programme Account (“Programme Account”).

“Membership Rewards Programme” or “Programme” means the loyalty programme of American Express wherein Cardmembers accumulate Points from their spending on their American Express Card/s as determined by American Express from time to time.

“Membership Rewards Points” or “Points” means the Points accrued through the Programme which can be exchanged for Frequent Traveller Rewards or Non-Frequent Traveller Rewards.

“Non-Frequent Traveller Rewards” means all rewards provided by the Programme except Frequent Traveller Rewards and which may include shopping, dining, entertainment, financial services, travel, unique and experiential Rewards and other such Rewards that may be added from time to time.

“Programme Enrolment Date” will be the first day of the month in which the enrolment application is received from the Cardmember by American Express in either the Frequent Traveller Option or the Non- Frequent Traveller Option of the Programme and will remain the same in the event of a transfer from one to the other. “Enrolment Year” is defined as any twelve-month period commencing on the Programme Enrolment Date. All Card/s where auto enrolment is applicable, the enrolment date is two days after application is approved.

ELIGIBILITY & ENROLMENT

Participation in the Programme is open to all Cardmembers residing in India who have an Indian Rupee billed Card which allows enrolment into the Membership Rewards Programme and whose Accounts are in good standing. Any person residing in India holding an American Express Card of any other denomination and billed from any other country is not eligible to participate in this Programme.

Enrolment for Corporate Cardmembers is subject to approval of the Corporate Cardmember’s Company and American Express, unless enrolment into Membership Rewards is part of any Corporate Card value proposition. Enrolled Corporate Cards from the same Company cannot be pooled into one Programme Account. Any Points earned in respect of the Corporate Card are accrued to the respective Corporate Cardmember for his/her personal use and not to the Corporate Account. In cases where a Corporate Cardmember chooses to link a Corporate Card and a Personal Card together into one Membership Rewards Account, the Corporate Card Membership Rewards fee will be charged in addition to any applicable Personal Card fee. Line of Credit Accounts, Business Travel Accounts, Corporate Purchasing Card, any Card issued for charging central spends of the corporate and other Non-Card Accounts are not eligible for enrolment in the Programme.

A Cardmember may link-up any number of his American Express Basic Card Accounts for the purpose of accruing Membership Rewards Points (“Points”), provided that the Cardmember is listed as the Basic Cardmember for all such Linked Accounts. American Express will designate one of the Linked Accounts as the “Primary” Account.

On enrolment, Cardmembers are required to pay the applicable annual fee for the Programme. However, if the Cardmember has more than one American Express Card and wishes to link-up the same, then only the applicable fee on the designated “Primary” Account will be charged except where the Corporate Card spending is being linked, where Cardmember will have to pay the fee charged for such Corporate Cards.

Points earned by any Additional/Supplementary Cards will automatically accrue to the Basic Card Account on which the Additional/Supplementary Cards are issued. Additional/Supplementary Cards cannot accrue Points separately under an independent Programme Account.

POINTS EARNED IN THE PROGRAMME

a) Subject to 1C below American Express Platinum Card, American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card, American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card and American Express Platinum Corporate Cards enrolled in the programme will accrue one Point for every Rs. 40 charged on the Cardmembers Account, all other Cards would be accruing One Reward Point for every Rs. 50 charged for regular spending and One Reward Point on every Rs. 100 spent on purchases at telecommunications, insurance, fuel and other utility services*.

*
• Telecommunications includes providers of land line phones, mobile phones, cable and other pay TV services, and calling cards.
• Fuel includes petrol, diesel, CNG from Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs).
• Other utility services includes providers of household/domestic electricity, gas and water. These providers can be government departments and agencies including local/state/municipal organizations, public housing societies and apartment associations.

b) American Express may at its sole discretion increase or decrease the accrual of the number of Points charged on Cardmember’s linked Account(s) wither during a promotion campaign for a specific product or at specific Service Establishments where the charge is incurred or as a feature of a specific product or any combination thereof.

c) For the American Express Card, the following charges are not eligible for accruing Points:

The Cardmember will not accrue Points in his/her Programme Account for amount of any charge processed by American Express prior to the Programme Enrolment Date, or any charge prepaid by the Cardmember on a Linked Account prior to the first billing statement of that Account following the Programme Enrolment Date of the Programme Account.

Points accrued in any Programme Account do not constitute any property of the Cardmember and are not transferable by operation of law or otherwise to any other person or entity and cannot be transferred to, or combined with, any other Programme Account.

Adjustment will be made to the Points accrued in the Cardmember’s Programme Account if there is any credit(s), including those arising from returned goods or services or billing disputes, or debit(s) posted to a Cardmember’s Linked Account.

POINTS EXPIRATION

Points earned by FTO Enrollees - There is no expiry date for Points earned by FTO Enrollees while participating in the Programme. However, American Express reserves the right to institute an expiry date for Points, whether or not the Points have been already accrued or thereafter accrued, by Enrollees.

Points earned by NFTO Enrollees - Points accrued in any other Enrolment Year that have not been redeemed for Rewards can be carried over for up to two further Enrolment Years. Any Points not used by the end of the second year after the Enrolment will be forfeited.

Points earned by GFTO Enrollees – Points accrued in any other Enrolment Year that have not been redeemed for Rewards can be carried over for up to three further Enrolment Years. Any Points not used by the end of the third year after the Enrolment will be forfeited.

If NFTO Enrollees later enroll in the Frequent Traveller Option, there will be no expiry date for Points already earned in the Enrolment Year they transfer enrolment to the FTO, provided that they pay the applicable “Differential Fee”. However, if they use up all Points already accrued before transferring to the Frequent Traveller Option, no Differential Fee will be charged.

If an FTO/NFTO Enrollee later cancels enrolment, Points already earned, that have not been redeemed for Rewards or transferred to any participating Programme, shall have to be redeemed within 30 days of cancellation failing which the same shall automatically stand forfeited.

NOTICE OF ACCUMULATED POINTS

American Express will notify the Basic Cardmember in the monthly Card statement of the Primary Account of the number of Points accrued under the same Programme Account up to the Point accumulation date, immediately preceding the closing date for the said monthly statement.

POINTS REDEMPTION

FTO/GFTO Enrollees can redeem Frequent Traveller Rewards, Frequent Customer/Guest Programme Rewards and Non-Frequent Traveller Rewards. NFTO Enrollees can only redeem Non-Frequent Traveller Rewards.

All Linked Accounts must be in good standing (meaning not overdue or in collection) and not cancelled or terminated by American Express or the Cardmember (except as provided below) at the time of a redemption request.

Points accrued in the Cardmember’s Programme Account can only be redeemed by the Basic Cardmember and not by any Supplementary Cardmembers.

Redeemed Rewards are not exchangeable for other Rewards, or refundable, replaceable, or transferable for cash or credit under any circumstances. However, Points can be redeemed for payment of any fees payable to American Express at the sole discretion of American Express.

American Express at its sole discretion may offer Points+Pay option wherein Cardmembers will have to redeem the required Membership Rewards Points along with payment specified to get Rewards. Such payment will be charged to the Card. The charges for Points purchased under Points Top-up and balance payment made under Points+Pay are not eligible for earning further Membership Rewards Points.

Once accrued Points in a Cardmember’s Programme Account have been redeemed for any Reward in the Programme including a transfer of Points to a participating Frequent Customer Programme, such Points cannot be transferred back into the Cardmember’s Programme Account.

Information supplied on the redemption of certain Rewards may be used by American Express or the Service Establishments that provide the Rewards for administrative and marketing purposes.

Different levels of Points might be required by FTO, GFTO & NFTO Enrollees for the same redemption option.

Once a Cardmember has converted the Membership Rewards Points to any Rewards option the same cannot be converted back into Membership Rewards Points irrespective of whether the Cardmember has or has not redeemed the rewards option(s).

REDEEMING NON FREQUENT TRAVELLER REWARDS

Only FTO/GFTO/NFTO Enrollees who have paid the applicable fees, can redeem Non-Frequent Traveller Rewards detailed in this brochure at the Service/Participating Establishment that provides the specific Rewards during the validity period of the respective offers.

All Rewards are subject to availability and certain restrictions, which may apply. The redemption procedure and the Terms & Conditions of each Reward are set forth in the Rewards Certificate issued to the Cardmember.

Any additional meals, transportation, accommodation arrangements or any other incidental expenses made in connection with any Reward will be the sole responsibility of the Cardmember.

In the event that the Reward takes the form of a cash savings voucher, should the Cardmember purchase goods or services in excess of the value noted on such savings voucher, the Cardmember should endeavour to use the American Express Card, to pay the difference to the participating Service Establishment.

Unless otherwise specified, if a shopping Reward in the form of a voucher is redeemed, the voucher cannot be used in association with other special offers offered by the Service Establishments or during sales.

Issuance of a dining, travel or hotel certificate does not constitute a reservation. The Rewards Voucher holder is responsible for making all reservations and notifying the participating Service Establishments of the Reward(s) they are going to redeem.

Other American Express Card benefits e.g., the Purchase Protection Plan, which are activated with Card use, do not apply to goods or articles received as rewards under the Programme.

REDEEMING FREQUENT TRAVELLER REWARDS

Only FTO/GFTO Enrollees who have paid the fee are eligible to redeem Frequent Traveller Rewards.

The Basic Cardmember may convert Points in his/her Programme Account to any participating Frequent Customer Programme, subject to the specific airline or hotel's requirement. Cardmembers are subject to and must comply with, the Terms and Conditions of the Participating Frequent Customer Programs, of the participating airlines and hotels in which they are enrolled

American Express assumes no responsibility for Points converted from a Cardmember's Programme Account into a participating Frequent Customer Programme or for the actions of any participating airline or hotel in connection with its Frequent Customer Programme or otherwise.

Any airline's or hotel's participation in the programme is subject to change with or without notice. American Express will not, directly or indirectly, assume any responsibility in respect of any such claim.

For Air Miles conversion, a nominal redemption fee of Rs.250 (plus applicable Service Tax) would be levied for all American Express Cards except American Express Platinum Card, American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card, American Express Platinum Travel Credit Card, American Express Kingfisher First Credit Card and American Express Corporate Cards.

If the amount due as per the monthly statement is not paid by the Payment Due Date (Minimum Amount Due in case of Credit Card and Full Amount Due in case of Charge Card), Points accrued in the Membership Rewards Programme for that billing statement month would be forfeited. Any such forfeited Points may be reinstated by American Express at its sole discretion upon payment of the applicable fee. This is not applicable on Platinum Card and Platinum Corporate Card, but applicable on all other Cards including Platinum Credit Card and those linked to Platinum Card and Corporate Cards.

In the event of the Card Cancellation or Deactivation of the Membership Rewards Programme (cancellation either initiated by the Cardmember or American Express), the accrued Points would need to be redeemed within 30 days from the date of the cancellation provided there is no outstanding on the Card. In case of the failure of Cardmember to redeem the Points accrued within the stipulated time of 30 days, the Points shall stand forfeited.

If the Card Account or any Linked Account is not in good standing (overdue or in collection), the Cardmember's enrolment in the Programme may be cancelled and/or Points accrued in the Programme Account will be forfeited immediately and will not be capable of transfer, conversion or redemption.

If payment for any enrolled Card Account is overdue, the Cardmember will not be allowed to redeem Points accrued in the Programme until all Card Accounts are returned to good standing.

Pictures or any artwork shown in Membership Rewards Catalogue is only indicative of the Reward. Actual Rewards may vary.

Cardmember is solely responsible for any Govt. tax, Service tax, duty or other charge imposed by law in any country in respect of the Programme, participation in the Programme and any Points converted or acquired or any other transaction within the Programme.

By redeeming a Reward, the Cardmember releases American Express, its affiliates, subsidiaries, parent or group companies from any and all liabilities to the Cardmembers or any guests of the Cardmembers regarding the redemption or use of any Rewards, or other participation in the Programme.

All questions or disputes regarding eligibility for the Programme or eligibility for Points for accrual or redemption of Rewards including transfer of Points to a participating Frequent Flyer Programme will be determined by American Express at its sole discretion.

Any dispute concerning goods or services received as a Reward under the Programme, shall be settled between the Cardmember and the Service/Participating Establishment, which supplied the goods or services. American Express will bear no responsibility for any loss of whatever nature, resulting from the redemption of any Frequent Traveller and/or Non-Frequent Traveller Rewards.

The Membership Rewards are being brought by American Express on a "best effort" basis. The features against every redemption option have been provided by the respective partner. American Express is not in a position to validate or authenticate such claims and shall take no responsibility for the same.

American Express holds no responsibility for lost or stolen Rewards, Reward Certificates or tickets.

Fraud and abuse relating to the earning of Points in the Programme or redemption of Rewards including transfer of Points to participating Frequent Customer Programmes may, at the discretion of American Express, result in forfeiture of accrued Points, as well as cancellation of a Cardmember's Programme Account.

American Express reserves the right to cancel, change or substitute any Reward or Programme Terms and Conditions at any time, at its sole discretion without prior notice.

American Express can suspend or terminate the Programme at any time it deems necessary. In such a case, American Express shall give advance written notice to Basic Cardmembers in the manner it deems appropriate.

American Express' failure to enforce a particular Term or Condition does not constitute a waiver of that Term or Condition by American Express.

This agreement is only for participation in Programme and does not in any way waive, amend or override any of the Terms and Conditions of the existing Cardmember agreement with American Express. All such Cardmember Terms and Conditions continue to remain in full force. In case of conflict between the Programme Terms and Conditions and the Cardmember Terms and Conditions the former shall prevail over the latter.

The Point levels given against every redemption option in this catalogue are subject to change. Please refer to www.americanexpress.co.in/membershiprewards for the updated Point levels for every redemption option.

All disputes arising out of this programme shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent courts in State of Delhi.

The aforesaid T&Cs are valid as on April 1, 2013. These Terms and Conditions are subject to change. Please refer to www.americanexpress.co.in/membershiprewards for the updated Terms & Conditions governing this programme.